Cesc Fabregas revisits the incident that made ‘Pizzagate’ football folklore

Cesc Fabregas will face Manchester United again on Wednesday when his Como side host the English club at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia in the third round of the league phase of the Champions League.

The former Arsenal midfielder is a familiar opponent for Manchester United, having played against them during his time in north London. But ahead of the meeting, English media attention has focused on an incident from October 2004 that became one of the most enduring stories in Premier League history.

Arsenal travelled to Old Trafford seeking a 50th consecutive league match without defeat. Their run ended with a loss, and tensions rose between the two teams in the tunnel after the final whistle.

Players became involved in heated exchanges and pushing before a slice of pizza was thrown and struck Sir Alex Ferguson. The incident later became known as “Pizzagate”, according to the Manchester Evening News.

For years, the identity of the person who threw the pizza remained unknown, although suspicion increasingly fell on Fabregas. Ferguson himself identified the Spanish player as a suspect, while former Arsenal defender Martin Keown fuelled the speculation by referring to “a very skilful Spanish player” without naming him.

Fabregas eventually settled the mystery during an appearance on Sky in 2018.

“Suddenly I heard noises and wondered what was happening. Then I came out carrying the pizza and saw Sol Campbell, Rio Ferdinand and Martin Keown. Everyone was pushing each other,” he said.

“I wanted to take part in the confrontation, but I did not know how to do it, so I simply threw the pizza. When I saw who it had hit, that was not what I intended.”

Fabregas later said he had apologised directly to Ferguson. Speaking to beIN SPORTS, he added: “I later discovered that it had hit Sir Alex Ferguson. I had already apologised publicly, and I will apologise again.

“It was not deliberate; it was a spontaneous moment. I was young, and I certainly would not use a pizza now. I would go straight into the confrontation!”

Fabregas explains what happened

In 2022, Fabregas gave further details of the incident during an interview with ITV, explaining that frustration, hunger and disappointment had all played a part.

“We had gone 49 matches unbeaten. They were very competitive, but they were also very clever. I received a lot of criticism as well,” he said.

Fabregas had been warming up but did not come on, and said he was upset after Arsenal’s defeat.

“I was warming up and did not play, and I was frustrated because we had lost. I went quickly into the dressing room, where there was some food, and I was starving,” he added.

“I took a slice of pizza, then we started hearing noises. My first thought was to throw the pizza because I did not have the strength, or perhaps the courage, to get involved in the confrontation.”